Indonesian Stir-Fry Noodles

What's funny about this dinner is that when I said it was what was for dinner, everybody balked. Then I made it, with an add-on of chicken for the omnivores in the family. One child, who is super-duper picky, didn't even try it. But it got whole-hearted yums from the other two people. So much that my son asked how much would be leftovers. And asked if I could make it again ... soon. 

The bowl above serves 4. That's right, 4. When I took my helping, everybody's eyes got wide and said, you get that much? Since I'm trying to watch my caloric intake. I said, I get a quarter of the bowl. Then they said, that isn't even a quarter of that bowl. By the way, I was quite full after eating the portion I served myself.

I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivores Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
12-oz dry noodles (i.e. spaghetti) 
6 tbsp teriyaki sauce 
2 tbsp soy sauce 
dash Sriracha (i.e., to taste) 
1/4 cup vegetable broth
oil
1 onion, thinly sliced 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
12-oz broccoli florets 
10-oz cole-slaw mix 
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
water, as needed

Directions:

1. Cook noodles via package instructions. 
2. Drain, rinse under cold water. Set aside. 
3. While cooking noodles, n a small bowl, whisk teriyaki, soy sauce, Sriracha, and broth together. Set aside. 
4. Sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent. 
5. Add broccoli and cook until bright green. 
6. Add cole-slaw mix, cooking and stirring so the veggies starts to soften.  
7. Add kale, stirring to incorporate. 
8. Continue to cook to desired tenderness, adding water as needed. 
9. Stir in sauce and cooked noodles. 
10. Taste, adding more Sriracha or teriyaki sauce, if desired.  

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 428 calories, 2.7g fat, 87.6g carbs, 14.8g fiber, 12g sugars, 18.5g protein
• You can use water instead of vegetable broth. You can use thinly sliced cabbage instead of cole-slaw mix. You can add-on more veggies.
• If you want to add some meat, chicken thinly sliced and fried in the same sauce (make more) worked well for us. I think pork may also go well in this dish.

Bangkok Rice Salad

This salad was pretty awesome. I ate it as an entree. It is great as a side, too. I got this from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice 
1 carrot, shredded 
1 cup napa cabbage, sliced thin 
¼ cup frozen shelled edamame (thawed) 
3-oz mango, diced 
2 green onions, sliced

Bangkok Peanut Sauce 
2 tbsp peanut butter 
1½ tsp agave nectar 
1½ soy sauce 
1½ tsp rice vinegar 
2 tbsp warm water
ground ginger

Directions:
Bangkok Peanut Sauce 

1. Whisk peanut butter, agave, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a light dash of ground ginger together with warm water until well combined.

Salad

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine rice, carrot, cabbage, edamame and mango. 
2. Toss with Bangkok Peanut Sauce until evenly coated. 
3. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Notes:

• Serves 2
• Per serving: 393 calories, 10.5g fat, 65.6g carbs, 5.7g fiber, 15.6g sugars, 11.3g protein
• Could add cold chicken, chopped peanuts, or more veggies.

Pizzoccheri (Italian Buckwheat Noodle Casserole)

This dish came from Robin Asbell's The New Whole Grain Cookbook. I consider it a vegetarian main dish. In the notes, I have the tips to make it vegan. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter (use vegan butter)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

14 ounces savoy cabbage, thinly sliced (6 cups)

4 ounces thin French beans or green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch slices

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 8-ounce package soba noodles

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper

6 ounces aged fontina cheese, shredded (skip for vegan)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. 
3. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saute pan and cook the cabbage and French beans over medium heat. (French beans will cook more quickly than green beans.) When tender and golden , about 5 minutes, add the garlic and sage, and cook for a few more minutes. 
4. Take the pan off the heat. 
5. Cook the soba in the boiling water according to the package directions, drain, then mix with the cabbage in the pan, adding the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Lightly oil a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish, and put half of the noodle mixture in the bottom. Top with half of the cheese, then the remaining noodles, and finally the remaining cheese. 
7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until melted and golden. 

Notes:

• For vegan option, use vegan butter and skip the cheese. (Or if you know of a good vegan Fontina-like cheese, use that.)
• You can also make this a day ahead, refrigerate, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Serves 6.
• A whole wheat spaghetti could also be used if you can't find soba. If you want to be true to the Italian tradition, use a homemade buckwheat pasta and roll it out by hand.
• Ryan made the suggestion to add chicken to the casserole to make it "feel more complete" for the omnivores in the family.